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WHILE
there is a myriad of motives to rant and rave about the
frivolity of some collections, I choose not to delve on
the negative. I try to find beauty where I can. Since
I’m deeply steeped in the Audrey Hepburn/Grace
Kelly/Elizabeth Taylor school of fashion, I found the
glamorous gowns to be the most unforgettable creations
presented at the recently concluded Philippine Fashion
Week (actually a 10-day affair).
Eric de
los Santos, who hails from Iloilo but who has a shop at
Markati Palazzo at The Podium, created “soft, fluid
pieces that lend a quixotic look and feel to the
romantic nature of my designs.” For Liezl Verses, he
made a “three-layered tulle stretch draped gown with a
sleeveless bolero made of felt cutout patterns of leaves
and flowers. It’s for a woman who loves to go to parties
or to a ball, a woman who wants to be seen and
remembered.”
Also
from Iloilo, Jaki Peñalosa took pride in her provincial
heritage. “All of my clothes are made of indigenous
materials from Iloilo. They are made of fine abaca
handwoven with cotton thread and especially dyed in
midnight blue. Dark-gray cutwork was introduced to
accentuate and provide a difference in texture.”
Sometimes a budding artist gets inspired by another.
June Pugat, a onetime apprentice to Frederick Peralta,
has art nouveau master Alphonse Mucha’s works informing
his collection. “Translated into clothing though, I took
the liberty of giving these images a sculptural feel via
more structured and harder-edge forms and cuts,” he
shares in the production notes.
For
Judith Pajaro, it was a song: “Somewhere in Time.” Jane
Seymour would have loved Pajaro’s silk strapless and
tiered romantic creation. Meanwhile, Cagayan de Oro’s
Melvin Lachica’s inspiration was a movie. He used
sumptuous materials like tulle and taffeta in bold
combinations of black and citrus, adding embellishments
like cut glass beads and rhinestones “to reflect the
luxury of the Elizabethan era.”
Pepsi
Herrera’s clientele is another breed of royalty: the
show biz celebrity. His long, structured serpentine
gowns that played around with unusual cutwork in pink,
silver and black Mikado silk assured his stature as an
exceptional designer to the stars.
 It
is tailored and streamlined minimalist “old-world
dressing” for the youngest participating designer, Janno
Farrales (no relation to The Dean). For Samantha Lewis,
a supermodel-in-the-making, he created a silk and span
mesh tulle serpentine gown with zipper detail on the
neckline with a lime green scarf.
Julius
Tarog’s training as an interior designer came to the
fore in his precision-cut creations for “the independent
woman who is out to conquer the jungle of contemporary
urban life.” A standout was a strapless serpentine gown
with cutout details made of metallic denim.
The most
whimsical of Cebuano designers, Protacio Empaces Jr.
once again showcased his wit, as he so succinctly stated
in his notes: “The future doesn’t have to mean sci-fi.
This collection is all about facing the future with
great optimism, about humanity coming to terms with the
beauty of nature. Made of organic and recyclable
fabrics, the ocean and earth-colored silk cocoon pieces
are adorned with embroideries inspired by the rainforest
flora and fauna, as well as the constellations.”
Jerome
Salaya Ang takes the cake for his “Anatomie Insectae”
collection. “The gown worn by Charo Ronquillo is made of
ponte de roma in a structured corset top and
layered circular skirt in a serpentine silhouette,” he
says. It is just one of many eye-catching confections
that the soon-to-be-big designer made from cotton viole,
satin, leatherette and silk for one of the best
collections at Fashion Week. |
